LONDON: As Erik ten Hag danced a jubilant jig on the Wembley pitch after Manchester United’s League Cup final victory over Newcastle, it was clear the manager’s romantic ideas about the club had blossomed into a full-blown love affair.

A clinical 2-0 victory got the Old Trafford trophy cabinet door swinging open again and, perhaps more importantly, gave a glimpse of greater things to come under the astute Dutch manager.

Casemiro’s header and an own goal from Sven Botman sealed United’s first major trophy since 2017, when they won the Europa League and League Cup under Jose Mourinho.

But the trophy was only secured after keeping Newcastle at bay with a gritty second half display that underlined how much difference Ten Hag has made.

The former Ajax Amsterdam boss arrived at Old Trafford with the club in a state of some turmoil on and off the pitch after finishing in sixth place in the Premier League last season under interim boss Ralf Rangnick.

But while there is little he can do about the future ownership of the 20-time English champions, which the American Glazer family have expressed a wish to sell, on the pitch he is shaping a team that looks capable of reviving the glory days.

A season that began under a Cristiano Ronaldo-shaped cloud has been transformed since the Portuguese talisman was finally shown the door after a toxic fall-out.

Ten Hag has quietly gone about his business, moulding an intelligent team that works tirelessly and is beginning to make winning a habit. A sixth League Cup triumph ended the club’s longest wait for a trophy since 1983.

And the season could still get better. They are in the fifth round of the FA Cup, the last 16 of the Europa League after knocking out Barcelona in midweek and in third place in the Premier League and not out of the title race.

While Ten Hag rules with an iron fist, the Dutchman has an empathetic side that he rarely shows in public.

That emotion was on display when he joined the celebrations at Wembley, linking arms in a joyous dance with Lisandro Martinez and Antony, the United players who know him better than most after their time at Ajax.

“We have a history, the two players and me in Amsterdam. We did some dancing and I hope we can do more in the future,” Ten Hag said.

Ten Hag experienced some difficult early days. A 4-0 hammering at Brentford in August had some predicting he might be out before the leaves fell off the trees and then there was a humiliating 6-3 defeat at Manchester City.

Since that drubbing at The Etihad in early October, United have lost only twice in all competitions, forward Marcus Rashford has turned into a world-beater and the signing of midfielder Casemiro has looked like a stroke of genius.

A defence built around the terrier-like Martinez and the cultured Raphael Varane snuffed out Newcastle on Sunday, winger Antony is becoming a fan favourite and even old-fashioned centre forward Wout Weghorst, a puzzling signing at the time, looks as though he would run through brick walls for Ten Hag.

It is not so much about individuals though. For Ten Hag the key is having every player pulling in the same direction.

“Winning a trophy shows that its worth to suffer and sacrifice to give every day your best,” he told reporters. “If you want to prove something you have to win something.

“This shows we are on a good pathway and it’s going in the right direction. We will be happy for 24 hours but we will not be satisfied because satisfaction leads to laziness.”

Ten Hag said the confidence of Sunday’s win could be a key for the rest of the season.

“I hope this is a big inspiration, but you can’t look too far ahead,” he said. “It’s a big win this and we are really happy tonight. Winning breeds confidence as long as you don’t go over the top and keep doing the right things.”

Ten Hag’s only misstep all afternoon came at the end of his post-match press conference when he almost forgot to take the League Cup trophy with him after bringing it to show the media.

Even then, Ten Hag kept his cool with a wry grin as he joked: “It’s only one cup”.

United fans will hope there are many more trophies to come thanks to their quiet revolutionary.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2023